The present invention pertains to polymers prepared from substituted pyridines containing at least two substituent groups having a hydrogen atom attached to a carbon atom attached to the ring, aromatic polyaldehydes and an aldehyde containing at least one polymerizable unsaturated group.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,362,860 and 4,471,107 disclose the preparation of ethenyl(vinyl) terminated polystyrylpyridine from the condensation of pyridine having at least two methyl substituents, an aromatic dialdehyde and 2-methyl-5-vinylpyridine or 2-methyl-3-vinylpyridine. The resulting vinyl terminated polystyrylpyridine prepolymers could then be cured by an addition reaction via the unsaturated terminal groups, thereby eliminating the release of water vapor and resulting in composites or other cured articles which do not possess surface imperfections.
Vinyl termination of the polystyrylpyridine prepolymer in the present invention is performed with an aldehyde containing at least one polymerizable unsaturated group instead of with a methylvinylpyridine. As a consequence, the storage modulus of the cured vinyl terminated polystyrylpyridine prepared with the vinyl substituted aldehyde is higher at room temperature than that prepared with methylvinylpyridine in most cases. The vinyl terminated polystyrylpyridine prepolymer prepared with the vinyl substituted aldehyde is suitable as a novel comonomer for reaction with N,N'-bis-imide resins. The copolymerization of this vinyl terminated prepolymer with N,N-bis-imide resin occurs at a lower cure temperature than that of an N,N'-bis-imide resin alone, which results in energy conservation.